NZ Football keen to retain Hudson as All Whites coach
New Zealand Football want to keep coach Anthony Hudson for another four years and are confident they can make it work.
Hudson, who was appointed in August 2014, was contracted until the conclusion of this World Cup cycle, which for the All Whites ended with their 2-0 loss in Lima on Thursday.
NZF had previously intended to have Hudson’s future decided before the end of the four-year cycle, but that hasn’t happened.
However, NZF chief executive Andy Martin hopes they can retain the 36-year-old Englishman.
“I’m a big fan of Anthony Hudson,” Martin told the Herald. “It’s obvious what he has done, especially if you look back to the Mexico game four years ago and where we were, to where we are now.
“We have a good team, good players and a good structure, and a lot of that has been driven by Anthony and what he has put together.
“We are lucky to have him. If we can make it work and he stays with us going forward and we can keep him, then we will be happy. I think we can, but there is a bit of work to do.”
Martin said discussions around Hudson’s future will be concluded by next month.
“We have talked a lot over the last few weeks over what the future holds and we need to finish those conversations when the dust settles — it’s not a conversation for now. We will both have a break, get back and start talking again next week.”
Hudson has made no secret of his future coaching ambitions, and he has been linked with the Colorado Rapids job in Major League Soccer, but Martin sees that as a positive.
“If we hired Anthony and he did a bad job, no one would be interested in him,” said Martin. “But he has done a good job, and there is interest in him, which is flattering for him and us. He has been very open with me all of the way through about other parties. He has had interest along the way before and he has never hidden anything. We have talked about it openly.”
The All Whites will have a limited playing schedule for the next two years — particularly in 2018 — which might decrease the attractiveness of the job for Hudson.
There will be attempts to arrange meaningful friendlies — according to Martin, there have been plenty of requests already for games — but budgets may be an issue.
NZF spared no expense for the All Whites this year, especially with the pre-Confederations Cup tour, and their resources will be limited in the next 18 months.
But Hudson staying offers a degree of stability — and the guarantee of a four-year contract — which doesn’t exist in club football.
The All Whites hotel in Lima was a hive of activity yesterday, as players and staff said their farewells. Winston Reid and Chris Wood were among the first to leave, at 4am Thursday (local time), with other departing contingents staggered through the morning. Phoenix players Andrew Durante and Michael McGlinchey were the last to leave, on an early afternoon flight to Santiago, Chile.